Page 29 of A Witch in Notting Hill

“One to reverse a spell completed on the solstice,” Willow said without looking up from the page. “Which sounds ridiculous, I know, but still. And this book has some old reversal spells, especially some that have to do with shape-shifting and the seasons...” She let her sentence trail off as she frantically flipped through the pages, their crinkling the only sound in the room. For all we knew, it could have been the only sound in all of England.

After a while, she stopped flipping pages. Stopped mumbling. Stopped breathing, as far as I could tell. “Did you find it?” I asked, trying not to sound as eager as I felt.

“I found it, all right.”

“Why aren’t we excited?” Lola asked. “We should be excited, right?”

Willow turned the book around, and the three of us fell into a trance as we stared back at a page filled with a list of six tasks, all of which were required to complete the spell. Willow’s hard swallow was audible in the silence.

“Holy shit,” I whispered. “This was only the beginning?”

“This was only the beginning.”

Chapter 13

Willow

This was only the beginning. How could I have been so stupid to think it’d be as easy as finding the book? I didn’t want to think Lola had jinxed it, but she might have jinxed it. Six tasks? To complete one spell?

When I was younger, even simple spells often had requirements for completion. Small offerings, easy lessons to learn, that sort of thing. Ivy and I didn’t mind; it kept us occupied, and we were excited to have experiences other kids weren’t having. But as we got older and learned more advanced magic, we no longer had to cover the prerequisites.

But even in those early days, I’d never seen something this involved. The tasks were so daunting I could hardly process them one at a time, and instead I just stared at the open book like it was on fire. Just held it in my hands, wide-eyed, slack-jawed, speechless.

Time slowed, and I finally read the list.

Forage for Clinopodium menthifolium, grown locally. Prepare and consume locally in accordance with your preferences.

Conduct an Orientation spell with the Wharram Percy Pendulum. Use its direction as a guide.

Complete the Ritualistic Restoration Cleansing in a pond, lake, or slow-moving river to prepare the body for the Reversal.

Participate in a Full Moon Ceremony. Stay awake until the following sundown for maximum effect.

Commune with those who have passed on. They know more than any of us who remain in our mortal forms on Earth.

Convince a skeptic of the existence of magic. Use the experience to fortify your powers to effectively produce the Reversal.